Beijing to relive pre-Games criticism as attention turns to 2022 Winter Olympics

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The ceremonial Olympic flag arrived in Paris earlier this week as the countdown to Paris 2024 began in earnest, but ahead of these Games, the Olympic circus is heading to another destination.

In less than six months, all Olympic roads lead to Beijing and the mountainous area of ​​Zhangjiakou for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

The Chinese capital defeated Almaty to win the rights to host the Games and will become the first city to fully host the Summer and Winter Games.

They will undoubtedly be spectacular but will be played out against the backdrop of a debate on the human rights record of the host country.

The intensity of the debate over podium protests and the application of Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter over the past two years suggests that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been particularly concerned about what might happen there.

The same was true 13 years ago when the 2008 Beijing Games were in full swing.

Olympic circus heads to Beijing for 2022 Winter GamesGetty Images

A few days before the start of the Games, IOC President Jacques Rogge insisted that there should be no demonstrations in the Olympic grounds. “If we allowed the stadium or the village to become the podium for such events, it would be the end of Olympic harmony,” said Rogge.

China had waited a long time to host the Games. They hadn’t even competed as a People’s Republic until 1984, but quickly applied for the 2000 Olympics.

The vote took place in 1993, just four years after the infamous Tiananmen Square massacre, but they managed to meet the challenge of Manchester, Berlin and Istanbul and lost by just two votes to Sydney.

Beijing regrouped and tried again for 2008. This time the rival cities were Paris, Toronto, Istanbul and Osaka.

The IOC Evaluation Commission visited each city. In Beijing, he concluded that “there is a major opportunity to create a strong marketing program that will strengthen the Olympic brand.”

He also noted that “the overall presence of strong government control and support is healthy.”

The vote took place at the 2001 session in Moscow. One of Juan Antonio Samaranch’s last acts as IOC President was to announce that Beijing had been chosen as the 2008 host city by a large majority.

In the years that followed, many questioned the choice.

Beijing hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics, but the choice of Games preparation has been criticized Getty Images

Beijing has unveiled plans for a massive torch relay to visit all previous host cities and other destinations.

It was billed as the “Voyage of Harmony”, but even before the flame was lit during the ceremony in ancient Olympia, protesters unveiled a banner depicting the Olympic rings as handcuffs during the speech of the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee Head Liu Qi.

It was the prelude to many troubles. On a cold April morning in London, protesters attempted to seize the flame outside Wembley Stadium, setting the tone for the day. In Paris, despite the presence of police at RoboCop on roller skates, the Relais was once again cut off. In San Francisco and Canberra, there was other unrest.

Beijing 2008 organizers drew widespread criticism for the blue “Flame Attendant” tracksuit. Even the torchbearers claimed to have been pushed around.

The negative headlines around the world prompted a reaction from the IOC.

“From the sports world, there has been absolutely no call for a boycott,” Rogge told Reuters.

“We are in daily contact with the organizers of the Beijing Games. Every day we are in contact with them but the IOC has to deal with sport, it does not have to deal with politics.”

Eventually, the flame returned to China and was taken to the top of Mount Everest. Even there, authorities took the precaution of closing other routes as the Beijing climbers made their ascent.

Beijing 2008 torch relay sparked protests around the world Getty Images

Whereas in the past the preferred mode of transportation was the bicycle, the explosion in automobile traffic has caused some visitors to Beijing to worry about the quality of the air.

The IOC’s evaluation report seven years earlier called the problem “significant”.

As many visitors arrived for the Games, they landed under dark skies.

American cyclists Bobby Lea, Sarah Hammer, Jennie Reed and Michael Friedman wore face masks as they passed through the airport.

The head of the United States Olympic Committee, Jim Scherr, suggested that the quartet had been “too too careful” and that an apology for the “violation” was coming. This was in stark contrast to the norm in Tokyo in recent weeks, where not wearing a mask would have been considered unacceptable.

When Beijing launched its Olympic bid, Human Rights Watch asked the IOC to “seek written assurances that if Beijing is selected, international media covering the Games will have unrestricted access to the country.”

In 2008, journalists discovered that it was impossible to access the websites of banned organizations such as Falung Gong, even in designated media areas.

There were supposedly areas reserved for demonstrations, although these were far removed from any location.

Next, IOC President Jacques Rogge claimed there had been no calls to boycott the Games in the Chinese capital before the Getty Images event

The centerpiece of the Games was a vast park known as Olympic Green. Archery, water sports, track and field, fencing, hockey, tennis and track and field were all easily accessible from the Olympic Village and the main press center.

However, dark stories emerged of former residents who were forcibly evicted to make way for the Olympic facilities, and the living and working conditions of some construction workers were clearly basic at best.

The facilities they built were anything but basic.

Near the stadium, a seven-star hotel had even been built. The Pangu Hotel was a remarkable piece of architecture in its own right.

On the approach road, standing about ten meters apart, were individuals who never moved from their position and appeared to have only a surveillance mandate.

At the center of it all was the Bird’s Nest, a huge stadium said to be earthquake resistant.

This is where the opening ceremony took place. The complex included a gigantic basement from which followed one another breathtaking special effects.

In total, 2008 drummers beat an in unison rhythm to herald the debut, and China’s tumultuous history was told in a tableau vivant that saw depictions of Chinese writing and the emergence of the road. Silk. Giant LED lights represented the Olympic rings soaring in the air.

Lang Lang later gave a virtuoso piano performance. Then, a huge globe decorated with photos of the faces of children from around the world emerged from below the stage as Sarah Brightman sang You and Me, the official song of the Games.

Then came the grand finale as Li Ning, a three-time gold medalist at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, soared through the air on a trapeze to light the cauldron that burned above the stadium. It was a breathtaking theatrical moment that sealed the biggest Olympic Opening Ceremony we have ever seen. Only the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics even came close.

In the days that followed, much of the sport was just as magnificent.

Beijing 2008 opening ceremony considered one of the greatest of all time Getty Images

The swimming finals, held in the morning, were dominated by the peerless Michael Phelps, who won an astonishing number of eight gold medals in the fitting frame of the Water Cube.

When athletics started there was also early morning drama in the 110m hurdles heats. Chinese Olympic and world champion Liu Xiang limped away with a recurrence of a heel injury. At a press conference that followed his trainer, Sun Haiping, broke down in tears.

“No matter what they did, nothing could help them.” Sun was sobbing.

On an unforgettable night at the stadium, Usain Bolt broke his own 100m world record to win in 9.69 seconds. There was another world record for winning the 200m, this time eclipsing the mark set by Michael Johnson. He won a third gold in the 4x100m, but that was scrapped years later when a teammate tested positive.

On the penultimate day of 2008, a man who was at the center of the scene this week in Paris, was also at the heart of things in Beijing. Lionel Messi helped Argentina defeat Nigeria in men’s Olympic football.

Before the 2008 tournament, there had been legal action from Barcelona trying to prevent him from participating. German club Schalke have taken similar steps to try to block Brazilian Rafinha from participating and Werder Bremen have opposed Diego’s presence. In the end, all three participated, but the incident made headlines.

The Games ended with another flawless ceremony in which Rogge declared the Games closed.

“The world has learned about China, and China has learned about the world, and I think it’s something that will have positive long-term effects,” Rogge said.

Profiting from such contact may turn out to be nearly impossible next February, especially if speculation about even more intense precautions planned against the virus were to prove to be correct.

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